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SXSW is comparably like living 3 months in 10 days. A whirlwind of music, experiences, and people, inundated with free booze and swag – opportunity for adventure is at every corner – one truly makes their own magic at SXSW. The last few days have undoubtably brought me memories that will last a lifetime… some of which I remember vividly, others which have been blurred between the lines of “drank” or exhaustion. Despite, the sleep deprivation – the luxury of living in Austin had given me several home bases around town to recharge my batteries, metaphorically and literally.

A highlight of the week however, was riding the Tito’s Trolley, which routed from East to West 6th Street through 5th onto Guadalupe looping down South Congress then back again. Equipped with air conditioning and an abundant amount of Tito’s, the Trolley was a perfect hitch between venues.

On Thursday, my fest +1 Arturo arrived into town from Laredo and we commenced our SXSW adventure at the Aquarium Drunkard party at Hype Hotel where we caught a Tito’s buzz while watching #buzzband Youth Lagoon, the musical venture of 22-year-old Boise, Idaho, musician Trevor Powers. His 2010 debut “The Year of Hibernation,” has been on heavy rotation for me the last couple months, so it was a real treat to be able to see him “en vivo.” Reminiscent to Daniel Johnston, his sound is an echo-laden dreamscape of lo-fi guitar and electronic percussion. The lyrics are tender and fragile with a element of nostalgia and a subject matter extending from watching fireworks, to heartbreak, to childhood. The album fundamentally imparts an honest and intimate confessional of fleeting memories once experienced. The set was about 6 songs long and included personal favorites “July,” “Montana,” and “Cannons” – all complemented perfectly by a heavenly lighting shrouded by a foggy mist from an unseen source.

After a couple drinks, Arturo and I rode our bicycles to East Side Showroom for some fancy noms and a hiatus from the mess of fest then continued on to The Brixton where we enjoyed color-coordinated Tito’s beverages.

The evening took me to Lustre Pearl for the Dickies Party where I met with my friend, Happy who shares a mutual love for Yacht – a Portland based group whom we’ve seen several times before. Embracing an ideologic way of thinking and message of love, the band sits on my favorites list. The energetic set included “The Afterlife” and “Psychic City” off See Mystery Lights, as well as “Dystopia” and “I Walked Alone” off Shangri-La – in addition to a mid-set crowd sourced Q&A session by lead singer Claire Evans – who was in and out of the audience more times Eddie Murphy was in and out of hot tubs in the 1980’s.